For avid Pinot Noir fans, finding a true value candidate with great class and character can be a daunting task, as we're often left overpaying for underwhelming quality. But as has been the case for the past decade or more, New Zealand's Central Otago region is here to challenge that dynamic with another superb specimen that can stand toe-to-toe with its much more expensive New World contemporaries.
The name Kim Crawford is synonymous with New Zealand wine, the man behind the country's most iconic brand has long since returned to his roots farming top-quality vineyard sites and making stunning boutique expressions with his wife Erica under their Loveblock label. The 2021 Central Otago Pinot Noir is sourced entirely from their "Somone's Darling" estate vineyard, a site of free-draining sandy loam soil over schist that produces a super-classic style of New World Pinot Noir. Carrying a pair of 93-point scores from Wine Spectator and Vinous, the wine is a prime candidate for cellaring with "its intensity, density, and savory, brooding nature."
Given all that, you'd fully expect to pay upwards of $40 for such a pedigreed offering, and you'd be right. However, we just went all in and negotiated a jaw-dropping price that we're passing on to our private clients, so you can stock the cellar by the case and enjoy this incredible overachiever as an everyday go-to house red, or you can follow its evolution over the next decade as a benchmark New Zealand expression from one of the world's most accomplished winemakers. Either way, it's a massive win.
The 2021 Pinot Noir requires you to be patient. It's young and somewhat confrontational, begging for bottle age, and knowing the New Zealand market, it won't enjoy that luxury. Shame. The wine is like a powerful baby with its intensity, density and savory, brooding nature. There's huge concentration and power wrapped in its core, propelling the wine forward and giving it a sense of attack. The finish is dry and savory, with oak-derived smoke and spice most prominent on the long finish. Pair it with a solid piece of red meat or game and slow-cooked mushrooms if you drink it now. Better still, hold your horses; this is going to age well.
93 points, Rebecca Gibb, Vinous (May 2024)
Presents pretty clove, nutmeg and cardamom details that are a lovely complement to the sleek maraschino cherry, raspberry and cranberry flavors at the core. A touch of malty Assam tea lingers on the finish, adding a firm note. Drink now through 2035. 4,000 cases imported.
93 points, MaryAnn Worobiec, Wine Spectator (Dec 2022)
Cedar shavings, tree sap, bay leaf and other savory herbs and spices are at the fore on this distinctive Pinot. Underneath lurk ripe, red and black fruit and some smoky oak. The palate is tightly wound in chalky tannins. There's a good deal of drying, toasty barrel influence. But there's also lovely crisp acidity and densely packed fruit. Drink 2024—2030.
92 points, Christina Pickard, Wine Enthusiast (Sep 2023)
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